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Geordi La Forge
Geordi La Forge (played by LeVar Burton), held the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and was the Chief Engineer of the [[USS_Enterprise_(NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] and later the [[USS_Enterprise_(NCC-1701-E)|USS Enterprise-E]], both under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Early life Geordi La Forge was born on February 16, 2335 in the African Confederation on Earth, to parents Captain Silva La Forge and Commander Edward M. La Forge, a noted exozoologist. Due to a birth defect, he was born blind. Sometime prior to 2340, Geordi was in a building that was on fire. He will later remember this as one of the scariest moments of his life. (TNG: "Hero Worship") When he was five years old, Geordi received his first VISOR, which allowed him to see (although not the same way the average human does) for the first time in his life. Geordi went to Zefram Cochrane High School sometime prior to 2353. (Star Trek: First Contact) Early Starfleet career Starfleet Academy He attended Starfleet Academy from 2353 to 2357, where he excelled at engineering and idolized Zefram Cochrane. (Star Trek: First Contact) USS Victory In 2357 he was assigned as an ensign aboard the [[USS Victory|USS Victory]] under Captain Zimbata. In 2362, it investigated the disappearance of the Federation colony on Tarchannen III. (TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data", "Identity Crisis") USS Hood In 2361, Geordi transferred to the [[USS Hood|USS Hood]] under Captain Robert DeSoto for her 2361-2364 cruise, during which he was promoted once, to Lieutenant Junior Grade. On the Hood La Forge knew William Riker, but only professionally. The two would develop a close friendship during their later years together on the Enterprise. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") Aboard the USS Enterprise The Enterprise-D Conn Officer , wearing a VISOR.]] In 2364 he was named Conn officer on the USS Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") His special vision was impressively demonstrated during an away mission to the drifting freighter Batris. The VISOR data was directly transmitted to the Enterprise-D's main bridge viewscreen, via his Visual acuity transmitter, allowing the bridge crew to gain an insight into Geordi's view of the world and to follow the progress of the mission until the datalink failed. (TNG: "Heart of Glory") The first major test of his abilities as a starship commander came during an encounter with an advanced planetary defense system in orbit of planet Minos. With the senior officers' away teams entrenched at the planet's surface, La Forge carried out the order to send the ''Enterprise'''s saucer section to safety, then returned to Minos with the stardrive section to work out a way of evacuating the away teams. While battling a cloaked drone in orbit, he devised the La Forge Maneuver to lure the opponent into the planet's atmosphere, thus having it reveal its location and being able to destroy it. In this tense situation, he also proved that he had the ability to successfully lead the nervous battle bridge crew to victory. (TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom") Chief Engineer .]] In 2365 La Forge was promoted to full Lieutenant, transferred from command to the operations division and named Chief Engineer. Over the course of the next several years, it became evident that this transfer had been a wise decision: His technical and analytical abilities, his versatility and his cooperative leadership style were very well suited to the requirements of a senior engineering officer aboard a major starship. Just one year later, in 2366, he was promoted again to Lieutenant Commander. An especially demanding situation arose in 2365, after the ship's main computer had been infected by an Iconian computer virus by ways of the log files of the USS Yamato. Those files were the only useful item that remained of this Galaxy class starship, after a catastrophic loss of antimatter containment had caused it to explode with the loss of all hands. La Forge was eventually able to disprove suspicions of a general design flaw in Galaxy class starships which had arisen when the alien program caused more and more shipboard systems to fail. Working with Lieutenant Commander Data, whose positronic brain had been infected as well, he found the solution to the problem in time to save the Enterprise-D from seemingly inevitable destruction. (TNG: "Contagion") Geordi learned about one particular disadvantage of stepping in the footsteps of Starfleet's famed class of engineers when members of a race known as Pakled took him hostage, this way hoping to gain technological knowledge the cheap way. Although injured, he found it not too difficult to set up a scheme which ultimately allowed him to be rescued by the Enterprise-D without further bloodshed. (TNG: "Samaritan Snare") In 2371, while on an away team investigating the Amargosa observatory with Lieutenant Commander Data, Geordi was knocked unconscious by Tolian Soran. Soran then kidnapped Geordi, and escaped aboard a Klingon Bird-of-Prey. The Klingons traded him for Captain Picard. They put a spy device in Geordi's VISOR, and used it to attain the Enterprise''s shield frequency. The device was removed after the destruction of the Klingon ship. (Star Trek: Generations) The ''Enterprise-E After the destruction of the Enterprise-D, he transferred to the new Sovereign class [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|USS Enterprise-E]] in 2372. He, and the Enterprise, then spent a year on a shakedown cruise. Some time between 2371 and 2373, he had received ocular implants capable of even more impressive functions than his VISOR. In 2373, the Borg attacked the Federation colony on Ivor Prime. The Enterprise was told to patrol the neutral zone, and Geordi argued that the Enterprise-E was the most advanced ship in the fleet, and should be at the front lines, and Captain Picard decided to head to the battle. After destroying the Borg Cube, the Enterprise followed a sphere that opened a temporal vortex in Earth's atmosphere. Geordi along with the entire crew of the Enterprise-E was transported to 2063. He and an engineering team beamed down to help repair the Phoenix, and got to work with his hero, Zefram Cochrane. After first contact happened as planned, the Enterprise returned to the 24th century. (Star Trek: First Contact) In 2375, La Forge was able to temporarily see naturally through real eyes as a result of the metaphasic radiation emanating from the rings of the planet Ba'ku. (Star Trek: Insurrection) VISOR Main article: VISOR La Forge, who was born blind, often wore a VISOR, a half-moon-shaped device attached at the temples, that allowed him to see. They enabled him to "see" throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, from heat and infrared through light and radio waves. With the cybernetic technology connected directly to his brain, it required such a complex and broad-based input that the user had to concentrate to focus on one area. Eventually, he received ocular impants with electric blue pupils and the same abilities. Engineering specialties La Forge had great talent for engineering and a keen judgment for needed modifications in the field; his faith in technology and his ability to master it were normally an inspiration to those around him. As a junior officer, his specialties included antimatter power, dilithium regulators, Holodeck programs, and climate-control computers. His intense focus enabled him to master the complexities of warp engineering and other starship systems. An all-night refit of a shuttle engine after an off-hand comment by a superior officer garnered the attention of Jean-Luc Picard, as it was testament to his no-nonsense skill and insight. During the Cochrane project he recalled the Phoenix test vehicle's intermix chamber from memory. Legendary forces In First Contact, La Forge helped his idol Dr. Zefram Cochrane, Terran scientist, eccentric genius, and inventor of the warp drive, launch his warp test vessel Phoenix in order to make the historic initial meeting with the Vulcans. Similarly, when a transporter loop allowed Geordi to come into contact with the near-mythic engineer Montgomery Scott, in 2369 the two joined forces to free the Enterprise from a Dyson Sphere's interior. Personal life The major childhood trauma of being alone in his burning home caused him great duress, though he was pulled to safety after only two minutes. His parents always being stationed away added to this exacerbation. Geordi La Forge's outstanding characteristic is his adapatability to and satisfaction with life. His sense of humor remained strong, despite his irreverence being tempered with his growing responsibilities. He enjoyed the senior officer's weekly poker game, and though his artificial "eyes" allowed him to detect bluffing and see his opponents' cards in the ultraviolet spectrum, he never "peeked" until a hand was over. He also delighted in scale model building of old sailing ships, chess, swimming, skin-diving, the history of his profession, and fencing. He was not well-suited for writing or the mandolin, despite a prefence for guitar music. He liked iced tea and pasta, such as fungilli. Due to his nomadic upbringing, he was adept at various languages including Hahlian. Personal Relationships Friendships La Forge always tried to be on friendly terms with everyone around him, yet he only seemed completely at ease in company of his closest friend, Data. The two of them often role-played in holodeck simulations of Sherlock Holmes stories, where Data assumed the role of Holmes and La Forge was Dr. Watson. Geordi was also close friends with Miles O'Brien and Susanna Leitjen. Possibly because of his own tendencies to retreat to fictitious settings, Geordi became friends with the extremely shy and nervous genius Reginald Barclay, trying to keep him in reality. (TNG: "Hollow Pursuits") Romance Being self-conscious and slightly nervous, it took him considerable effort to get in contact with potential female partners. This apparently contributed to him falling in love with two women's holographic respectively audiovisual representations when it appeared that he would never get to meet them in person. Geordi was slightly insecure concerning dating and women, though he has had significant relationships with Christy Henshaw, Lt. Aqueil Uhnari, and Dr. Leah Brahms. Christy Henshaw Efforts to date Enterprise-D crewmate Christy Henshaw were initially unsuccessful, although she became much more interested in him after an encounter with the Zalkonian known as John Doe left him feeling much more confident. (TNG: "Booby Trap", "Transfigurations"). Leah Brahms Working with a holographic representation of engineer Leah Brahms, a key member of the Galaxy Class Starship Development Project and, in a way, the mother of the Enterprise's warp propulsion system, La Forge fell in love with her. Upon meeting the real Dr. Brahms one year later, in 2367, things were everything but rosy. Both had to work hard to find a way of cooperating, but eventually became friends. (TNG: "Booby Trap", "Galaxy's Child") In an alternate future timeline, Geordi was married to Leah. They had three children. (TNG: "All Good Things...") Aquiel Uhnari Investigating into the supposed death of one and disappearance of another officer at a remote subspace relay station in 2369, Geordi reviewed the personal correspondence of the suspected victim, Lieutenant Aquiel Uhnari. In the process, he came to know and like her so much that upon her unexpected apprehension, both formed a short relationship. (TNG: "Aquiel") Alternate timelines In an alternate timeline, by 2389, Geordi had been promoted to Captain, and was in command of the [[Galaxy class|''Galaxy-class]] [[USS Challenger|USS Challenger]]. In that year, La Forge pursued Chakotay, Harry Kim, and Tessa Omond, in a stolen Delta Flyer, to the Takara Sector, in an attempt to stop them changing history by preventing the destruction of the [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]] 15 years earlier.'' (VOY: "Timeless") :Geordi has held more ranks on screen than any other ''Star Trek character: he was a lieutenant junior grade in TNG Season 1, a full lieutenant in TNG Season 2, a lieutenant commander in TNG Seasons 3 through 7 and the four Next Generation feature films, a commander in the illusory future of TNG: "Future Imperfect", and a captain in an alternate timeline in VOY: "Timeless".'' Chronology ;2335 : Born in African Confederation, Earth. ;2340 : Receives the first VISOR. ;2353 : Admitted to Starfleet Academy. ;2357 : Graduates Starfleet Academy, Assigned [[USS Victory|USS Victory]]. ;2361 : Assigned [[USS Hood|USS Hood]] under Captain DeSoto. ;2364 : Assigned to [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] as Helmsman. ;2365 : Promoted to lieutenant and chief engineer. ;2366 : Promoted to lieutenant commander. ;2369 : Receives word that his mother, Captain Silva La Forge of the [[USS Hera|USS Hera]] has died. ;2371 : ''Enterprise''-D destroyed over Veridian III. ;2372 : Assigned to the ''USS Enterprise''-E. ;2373 : Travels back in time to 2063 in order to defeat an attempt by the Borg to create an alternate timeline in which the Federation is never created. ;2375 : Assists in Picard's rebellion against Starfleet Admiral Dougherty in order to protect the Ba'ku. La Forge's eyes temporarily regain sight because of the Ba'ku (planet)'s effects. ;2379 : Attends the wedding of William Riker and Deanna Troi. (Star Trek: Nemesis) La Forge, Geordi La Forge, Geordi La Forge, Geordi La Forge, Geordi de:Geordi La Forge nl:Geordi La Forge